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Olympic Committee to Live Stream London 2012 Summer Games on YouTube in 64 Countries

UPDATED: The offer will be available in territories where the International Olympic Committee broadcast partners didn't acquire digital content rights.

LONDON -- The International Olympic Committee said Wednesday that it will live stream the London 2012 Summer Olympics in 64 territories across Asia and Africa on its YouTube channel.

The offer will be available in countries where the IOC’s broadcast partners didn't acquire digital content rights. In Asian territories, the YouTube channel will provide exclusive Games coverage. Sub-Saharan African territories will get digital coverage via the IOC's YouTube channel on a nonexclusive basis.

During the Summer Games, which run July 27-Aug. 12, sports fans in these countries and regions can view live coverage and highlight clips for free via the Internet or web-enabled devices.

The IOC live streaming will consist of 10 simultaneous high-definition broadcasts with English-language commentary that will run 9 a.m.-11 p.m. London time, plus a 24-hour feed of the Olympic News Channel, which includes summaries of the latest results and interviews with athletes.

The IOC channel will also feature historic Olympic content. In total, the YouTube channel will offer more than 2,200 hours of coverage.

Among the territories covered by the IOC's YouTube offer are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, Thailand and Vietnam. Nonexclusive coverage will be available in the likes of Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal and Zimbabwe.

"We are delighted to be able to offer live online coverage of London 2012 to sports fans free of charge across these 64 markets," said Timo Lumme, managing director of IOC Television and Marketing. "We first provided clips on our channel on YouTube during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games across the region and since then have continued to provide footage of past Olympic Games across the world on our YouTube channel. Now we will also be able to offer live coverage during London 2012, complementing the excellent coverage provided by our broadcast partners across the world across all media platforms."